Keeper of the Night
by Thundrdrum
Summary: Many things lurk in the sewers. Dark and deadly things.
1. Siren's Song

It was in the middle of the night when I heard the noise. I sat up and looked at my clock. '1:15?!', I thought to myself. I strained my ears. I just couldn't make out what it was. I got up and left my room. "Up so soon, Leonardo?" I heard my father ask from his doorway. "Good morning, Sensei. I was just going to go investigate that strange sound." I explained. "Hmm. Go, find out what it is. Be careful." he told me. "I will, Sensei." I replied and left, following the sound.

As I got closer, it began to sound like singing. No words, just a calm and steady beat. The tune sounded... sad. It stirred my heart in a way I had never felt before. I was getting close, so I decided to stick to the shadows. The music seemed to vibrate everything. The walls, the water, it even felt like it was shaking my very soul. The voice got louder and the beat got faster. The song no longer only spoke of sadness, but now of pain and anger too. The voice led me to an intersection in the sewers. Under a circular storm drain, in a flood of moonlight sat a hooded figure with it's head bowed. The singing stopped.

(POV Change)

'I _know_ I saw something move.' I thought to myself. 'What ever it was, it looked too big to be another rat. Crap! I came down here to _not_ be heard. I'll wait to see if it comes out.' I felt eyes on me. These didn't feel so much a 'what', but a 'who'. I tried to steady my racing heart. 'What if I've been discovered?' I worried. 'Too late now.' I took a steadying breath. 'Here goes nothing' I began to sing again, but a lot quieter. I tried to keep my voice from quavering, but failed miserably. I mentally pleaded for mercy.

(POV Change)

'Hmm. Definitely female.' I thought to myself as I studied the figure. She wore a long, black hooded cloak. The rest of her was too shadowed to see any details. The singing began again. Her voice was unsteady. It sounded like she was holding something back, but what? I heard a small voice in my head. It sounded like it was begging for its life. 'Huh? Who does this voice belong to? Why does it think I'll hurt it? This is so confusing!' My mind began to race. "Please, step into the light. I want to see my killer." the girl said, raising her head. I saw tears slide off her chin. 'Killer?' I puzzled. "Please, end it quickly." she pleaded. I didn't want to scare her. If her song was anything to go by, she was in pretty bad shape. I didn't see any other alternative. "I'm not here to hurt you."

(POV Change)

I didn't recognize the voice. It sounded male and in his teens. 'Not here to hurt me?' I wondered. "Then why are you here?" I tried to keep the accusing tone from my voice. "I heard your song and decided to see who was singing." he replied. 'Of course.' I thought, rolling my eyes at the common answer. "Step into the light, so I can judge for myself." I heard him sigh. 'You are hesitating. What are you trying to hide?' I thought. After what seemed like forever, I saw two green feet emerge from the shadows. I tensed up, readying my wings.

He slowly emerged. First, two green, two-toed feet. Then a pair of muscular legs with brown knee pads. After that the underside of a shell with a leather belt. Next his chest with his three-fingered hands raised. A turtle. The most shocking part was his face. He wore a blue mask. His eyes were not full of fear, as I expected, but with concern. That surprised me. I stood and looked into his eyes. As I did, I saw fear flash through them before he shuttered them.

(POV Change)

When she stood, the first thing I noticed was her feet. They were bare. We were nearly nose to nose before I could think on it too much. She stared into my eyes. I had no idea what she was looking for. I felt Adrenalin starting to pulse through me before she said, "I believe you." I tried and failed to hold back a sigh of relief as I put my hands down. She started to back away.

Behind me I heard footsteps running toward us. "What the?!" was all I had time to get out before someone pushed past me. My brothers had followed me?! Raph lunged at her. "No!" I yelled. Just before he got her, large black wings shot out from underneath her cloak, shielding her. Raph ran into her, knocking her into the water. "What are you doing?!" I shouted at him. "Saving your life!" he yelled back. The girl got to her knees . Raph prepared to attack. Before he could, she shrieked. It seemed to echo ten times louder from all directions. Raph and I fell to our knees with our hands over our ears. I felt a rush of wings and she was gone.

(POV Change)

Donny and I rushed in to help the others, only to find them arguing... again. "What the shell was that about?!" Leo shouted at Raph. "Um, we thought you were in trouble." Donny answered for him as he took off his night vision goggles. "Yeah, we totally thought you and that other dude were goin' after each other." I chimed in. "Ok. First off, its a 'she', Mikey. And why did you think I was in trouble?" Leo asked, still fuming. "Well, you kind of had your hands up." I replied. "I only did that, because she thought I was gonna kill her!" "Before or after she saw you?" Raph cut across him. "Before I even made my presence known!" Leo shot back. "Come on. The more time we spend arguing, the greater chance she has of getting hurt." he said and silently sprinted off. We followed.

(POV Change)

'Ok, Leo. Focus on the girl.' I thought, trying to calm myself down. Raph has always gotten under my skin. Why should tonight be any different? I heard the sound of wings up ahead, then a splash. I slowed down and stopped. I turned and held my finger to my lips. My brothers nodded. We walked a little farther. When I heard crying, my heart lurched. I turned and gave my brothers a signal to stop. I walked a little farther, until I got to the next junction. I saw her on her knees. She had her wings over face.


	2. Nightingale

"Um, excuse me." I hear a voice say timidly. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I recognized the voice. I peeked through my wings and saw the blue-masked turtle I saw earlier tonight. I Jumped to my feet and poised my wings. "What do you want?" I demanded "I wanted to apologize for my brother's actions. He has a tendency to act before thinking." I thought about this for a few seconds. "I accept your apology." I said, lowering my wings and tucked them back underneath my cloak.

"You can tell your brothers to come out now." I said calmly. "Huh? Oh! Come on out, guys!" he called. "My name is Leonardo, or Leo." he said. "I'm Mikey!" the orange one piped up as he walked out of his hiding place. The others followed. "Raph." grumbled the red one, crossing his arms. "I'm Donatello, Donny or Don. How did you know we were there?" he asked. "Mikey farted." I said with a smile. Mikey grinned embarrassedly. "So, what is your name?" Leo asked "Ruiseñor" I answered. "'Nightingale', beautiful name." Donny translated. "Thank you. Call me 'Mesa', though ok?" I told them. My stomach distracted me from my thoughts. "Hey, do you have anything to eat?" I asked. "How does pizza sound?" Leo asked. I shook my head and said, "I'm allergic to tomatoes." "What?! No way!" Mikey exclaimed. "Anything else should be good." I continued. "Come on. We'll take you home with us." Mikey said and started running off, the others followed. I tried to keep up.

(POV Change)

Mesa followed us home. We were greeted by Master Splinter. "Did you find anything, my sons?" he asked. "Yes. We found a girl named Mesa." I spoke up. "Good morning." Mesa said as she bowed to him. "Good morning, Mesa." he answered as he bowed back. We took her to the kitchen. "Make yourself at home." Mikey told her as she sat in a chair. "What did you have in mind?" I asked. "Anything without tomato product." Mesa answered. I looked around and spotted some Frosted Flakes. I poured some into a bowl and grabbed a spoon. "Milk?" I asked. "Yes, please." she answered. I poured some in and set it in front of her. "Thank you." she mumbled before she dug in.

She was done within three minutes, not a drop to be seen. "How long has it been since you last ate?" Donny asked, worry creeping into his voice. She looked down and started to blush under her hood. "Two days." All three of us stared at her wide-eyed. Raph kept his 'Tough Face' on. "Man! I wouldn't be able to _stand_ not eating that long!" Mikey interjected. "Last proper meal?" I asked. She blushed even deeper. "Five years." Our jaws dropped and Raph's eyes widened. "Come with me. I need to give you a check up." Donny told her. She got up and put her bowl in the sink. "I don't need an audience." Mesa said. 'How did she know I was gonna follow?' Raph, Mikey and I looked at each other confused. I think we were thinking the same thing.

(POV Change)

Mesa followed me to my lab. I had her sit on my table. I asked her to take off her hood. "Hold on." she told me, then stood and said, "I _told_ you, 'I DON'T need an audience', boys." "How did you know?!" Mikey asked as he poked his head around the corner. Leo dropped from the ceiling. Raph walked through the door with an irritated look on his face. "Yeah, how did you know? I didn't even hear them." I asked, awestruck. "You will find out eventually." Mesa said to me. She then turned to face my brothers. She crossed her arms and put her feet shoulder width apart. "Go!" she commanded. My brothers and I nearly jumped out of our shells. The voice belied the figure. Her voice reminded me of Master Splinter's. My brothers turned and left.

Mesa returned to the table. "Could you -" I began. "No. Check what you can without my hood down first." she cut across me. "Alright." I sighed. I checked her from shoulder to toe. Other than being underweight, she was fine. "I need to check your temperature, Mesa." I said. "What type of thermometer do you have?" she asked. "The kind you put in your ear. Why?" She didn't answer right away. "When you're ready, grab the thermometer and turn your mask." she sighed. "Why?" I asked, starting to get a little suspicious. "If you see my face, you and your family will be in danger." she explained. "I would like to see your face." I tried to convince her. "No, you don't. Put your hand on my shoulder and turn your mask, please." she said a little more strongly. "Fine." I didn't like the sound of this, but I needed to make sure she was ok. I prepared the thermometer, held it on her shoulder and turned my mask, as she asked.

I heard her sigh, then a rustle of cloth. I used my empty hand to feel up her neck, along her jaw and to her ear. She was very tense under my hand. When I got to her ear, I noticed that it wasn't rounded, but long and pointed. I felt her eyes narrow, so I quickly put it in her ear. After a few seconds, it beeped and I took it out of her ear. As soon as I did, she put her hood up. I turned my mask again and read, "100.0?" "Normal." Mesa said. "Normal?" I asked. "Yes. I believe we are done now?" I nodded and she got up and walked out the door.


	3. Past Monsters

'Who does she think she is?' I thought to myself 'She's almost as bad as Leo, orderin' us around like that. I don't think I trust her yet. She's always wearin' that hood. I wonder what she's hiding.' The sound of footsteps tore me from my thoughts. It was Mesa followed by Donny. "I wanted to apologize for shouting at you guys. I felt your eyes on me. It was unnerving." "Apology accepted." Leo said calmly, looking up from the TV. "You're alright dudette." Mikey added. "Fine." I grumbled. Donny sat on the couch, opposite of me.

"Out of curiosity," Donny started. Mesa sat on the floor, facing all four of us. "How long have you been down here, Mesa?" Donny continued. "In the sewers? About a month. I've been going to the surface to get food. The past couple of days though, I haven't been able to find anything I'm not allergic to." 'Huh. She answered my question before I asked it. Probably nothing.' I reasoned. "Why are you in the sewers?" Mikey asked. "I got chased down here by thugs." she answered to her knees. 'Hmm. She's hiding somthin'.' I thought. "Is that the only reason?" I asked, a little gruffer than I wanted. "I had nowhere to go." After a few seconds of silence, she abruptly stood. "Thanks for everything guys. I'll get out of your.. uh.. hair." We all looked at her quizzically. She turned on her heel and left. We all looked at each other.

(POV Change)

'Whew! That was too close!' I thought as I left the guys. I was uncomfortable with them asking questions, but when Raph started to pry, that was enough. 'They'll be on my tail soon. I'd better speed this up.' I unfolded my wings, got a running start and began flying full-throttle. I dove under things and made as many sharp turns as possible. When I started to get tired, I stopped in a dark intersection, climbed over the doorway and clung to the wall. I heard footsteps from all directions. 'Why would they follow me?' I asked myself. 'Unless they are aware of what I am, which I highly doubt, they may be searching out of concern. But why would they be concerned about me, a girl they just met this morning? Well, I'm not normal, and Donny knows this. I also tried to dodge a few of their questions. That, in general, is a surefire clue that something's up.' I shook my head and waited.

I don't know how long I waited. I heard nothing, but knew they were still looking for me. I was beginning to get stiff and my palms were sweating. The wall was already slick from moss and sewage. I heard soft footsteps coming my direction. The ledge I was holding began to slip from my fingers. 'Oh no. Not _now_.' I was too stiff to move. I began to fall. I tried to catch myself with my wings, but I was a second too late. I hit my head on something sharp and everything I could see went black.

(POV Change)

I heard a splash in the intersection to my right. I looked and sure enough, through my night vision goggles I saw a blob of heat. "Hey guys! I think I found her!" I called. I lifted my goggles and walked over to her. What I saw tore my heart. She was on her back, her wings bent awkwardly. Pain etched her features and her breathing was ragged. My brothers joined me by her side as I knelt down. She was out cold. I put one hand under her knees and the other behind her neck, careful not to touch her wings. I felt a hot, sticky fluid run down my hand. 'Oh no.' I winced, then stood and held her to my chest. "We need to move, now! She's losing a lot of blood." I told them and ran off towards the lair. My brothers closely followed.

Just before we reached the door, I told Mikey to get my first aid bag. He nodded and dashed off to get it. I set her on the couch, keeping my hand on the back of her head. Mikey arrived with my bag. I had him hold her as I pulled down her hood, grabbed some bandages and tried to stop the bleeding. When it finally stopped, I cleaned the gash on the the back of her head and bandaged it. I took off her cloak, revealing what probably used to be a white tee shirt. The sleeves and back were cut off. She knotted it at the waist and the neck. I felt along the main bone of each wing. As I did, a bunch of feathers came off, tickling my nose. "Nothing's broken." I sighed in relief. Now that the danger was past, my brothers and I decided to take a closer look at Mesa. Mikey lay her on her side, careful not to crush her wings.

(POV Change)

She looked of Spanish descent. She wore white cargo pants. They had all kinds of stains on them. Some were dirt, and there were others I didn't recognize. Her hair was blacker than her cloak and had two white streaks in it, one at each of her temples. If she were sitting, it may have reached the small of her back. At about mid-length, there was a strip of white cloth tied in it. "I think I see why she knew where I was when I found her" I thought out loud, looking at her ear. It was almost level with the top of her head. Her face was nothing short of amazing. Her skin was smoother than glass. I let my eyes wander.

They rested on a strange marking. It looked like some kind of braid. It started at her hairline and ended at the tip of her nose. What shocked me most, was that it was a bright purple. Curiosity got the better of me and I reached out to touch it. As I did, I caught the attention of my brothers. I stopped and asked, "Think I should?" Mikey shrugged, "I don't know... Maybe not such a good idea." Donny answered. "Go on, Bro." Raph said. I took a breath and ran my finger along along it. It felt... HOT! I quickly took my finger off Mesa's forehead. Mesa awoke with a gasp. She looked at my hand then at me. "What have you DONE?!" she exclaimed and started untying the cloth in her hair. I looked down at my hand.

My finger had turned black and the blackness was spreading to the rest of my hand. I was really getting creeped out. "Calm down Leonardo, or it will spread faster." Mesa said, finally getting the cloth out of her hair. She licked both sides of it, put it to her lips and hurriedly whispered into it in a language I didn't understand. The blackness had covered my entire hand and had begun creeping up my arm. Mesa tightly wrapped the cloth just below my elbow, cutting off the blood flow. My vision blurred and was replaced with nightmares.


	4. Rough Day

I awoke in a pool of blood. I sat up and looked at my arm. 'Why am I covered in blood?' I wondered as I looked around. I was in the middle of a ring of half-burnt candles. There was a bloody flute and dagger on the floor to my right and my mask on my left. I felt something around my eyes. I reached up to touch it. 'Salt?' I looked up and saw my family blankly blinking at me. Master Splinter helped me up. "What's goin' on?" I asked, turning to my brothers. "What was that, Bro?" Mikey asked, pulling something out of his ear. My father and brothers pulled something that looked like wax out of their ears. I repeated myself.

My brothers all tried to answer at the same time. I couldn't exactly make out what they were saying, but Mesa kept getting mentioned. "Huh?" I cocked my head. "Look!" Mikey said, pointing behind me. I turned around, afraid of what I was about to see. My heart skipped a beat. It was Mesa, bleeding on the ground. "What happened?!" I ran over to her, turned her onto her back and listened for a heartbeat. It was there. I sighed in relief and sat next to her. "She brought you back to us." Master Splinter answered. "What?" I was having trouble wrapping my head around this. Donny walked over to us and tended to Mesa. "You were in some kind of trance. You kept screaming and moaning. Mesa somehow brought you out of it." Donny told me as he cleaned what looked like stab wounds. "What did she do?" I expected Donny to answer, but instead it was Raph. "She used her blood to get that black stuff outta ya and her tears to wake ya up"

That was when it hit me. That mark, the cloth, the nightmares. It all came back. Mesa stirred and sat up. "Oh good! You're awake. I honestly didn't think it would work. Sorry about the mess, Sensei. I'll clean it up as soon as Donny's done with my hand." She now had a band-aid just under her neck and Donny was wrapping her hand. "I will explain everything after I clean up. You may want to wash that off, Leo. It _really_ stinks after a while." I got up to leave. "May I have my cloth back?" I looked down at my arm and started trying to figure out how to untie it. When I finally did and gave it to her, she wadded it up and stuck it into her mouth. My brothers and I looked at her strangely as she sucked on it, swallowed then spit it back into her hand. It was cleaner than it was before this whole episode. "What?" she asked. I just shook my head and left to get a shower.

(POV Change)

I peeked over the couch and watched Mesa work. She only used the cloth she had in her hair earlier. She first cleaned the flute. She bent her head, thanked it and put it on the couch. She did the same thing with the dagger. I didn't understand why, though. "Mikey, could you help me gather the candles?" 'There's no getting past those ears of hers. I wonder how good she is at hide and seek.' I went to join her.

I handed her the candles one at a time. Every few candles, she would put the cloth back in her mouth. Every time after she got the blood off a candle, she would dip her head and thank it before setting it on the couch. "Why do you thank the candles?" I asked. She paused for a moment. "I thank the candles, because they protected me from the darkness as I brought it into me. I thanked the dagger, because it linked me to your brother to draw out his darkness. I thanked the flute, because it gave me passage into the darkness and safely led both of us out." I cocked my head at her explanation. She giggled at my puzzled look. "My mother taught me to thank everyone that does something for you, Mikey. Even if they don't respond." She continued cleaning the candles.

After all the candles were cleaned, Mesa started cleaning the blood stains on the floor. She started on the smaller one first. The cloth soaked it up like a sponge, turning it black. She put it back into her mouth. She did that about four more times. For the bigger pool, she did that at least twenty times. When she finished, she picked the dagger, flute and half the candles off the couch and went to the dojo to put them away. I took the other half.

(POV Change)

The rest of that afternoon, I tried to prepare myself to tell my story. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and went into the storage room. I selected a small log that was about a foot long and about four inches wide. I sat and began to whittle. Someone knocked and came in. It was Donny. "Hey, Mesa its time fo- Whoa! What are you making?" I looked down at the rough egg shape I was holding. "I'm making an ocarina." I answered. "Cool. Well anyway, it's time for dinner." "It's been that long already?" I looked at him wide-eyed. "Yeah. Come on." I followed him out the door. We were having spaghetti, since I couldn't have pizza. It warmed my heart that they would think of that. I prepared my mind for the past.


	5. Blood Relatives

Leo screamed as he fell on his face. The other three backed away from me with looks of absolute terror on their faces. Master Splinter appeared by my side. "What is happening to Leonardo?" he demanded. "Nightmares." I answered as I struggled to turn him onto his back. "I've managed to retain the curse to his arm, but the cloth won't hold forever.." I kneeled by Leo's head and put his head and shoulders on my lap. His breathing was ragged. "Curse?!" Raph yelled. "No time to explain. I need to draw them both ." Leo grabbed his head and screamed again. "What do you need?" Splinter asked urgently. "Twenty-one white candles, a flute and a dagger." the boys scrambled to get them.

I started to untie his mask. Raph retrieved the candles, Mikey a wooden flute and Donny the dagger. "Set the candles around the both of us and light them. Hand me the flute and dagger and put these in your ears." I handed Splinter, Donny and Mikey small wads of wax. They did so and sat at Leo's feet. "Raph, turn off the lights and put these in your ears." I ordered as he finished lighting the candles. He did so and joined his brothers.

They watched my every move. I took a deep breath and began singing in my native tongue. I moved to the tempo of my music. I took the dagger, raided my head and pricked myself just above the dip in my clavical. I then set down the dagger and picked up the flute. I pressed my left thumb into the nick I made, holding it there for a few seconds to make sure every crevice was filled with blood. I placed my thumb on the end of the flute. Then I roughly placed my middle and forefinger to the nick, making the blood flow even faster. I drew a line on the back of Leo's arm from the cloth just below his elbow, to the back of his hand. From there, I split it into three lines, one going to each of his fingers. I put the flute to my lips and began to play.

(POV Change)

What ever Mesa was playing, it seemed to soothe Leo. His face relaxed and his breathing slowed. Her song seemed to vibrate the room, and my very soul. I had to sit on my hands to resist the temptation to take the wax out of my ears. The flames of the candles grew and shrank to her music. I noticed the blackness beginning to recede into Leo's hand and later back into the finger it had spread from. There was now only a black spot on his fingertip.

Mesa stopped playing, set the flute down and started singing again. She picked up the dagger and stabbed her left hand until the tip was visible just under the skin on the back of her hand. At this point, tears were rolling down Mesa's cheeks and her voice was quavering. She shakily set down the dagger and grabbed Leo's hand. She winced sharply as she stuck his finger into the hole she had just made. She sucked in air and exhaled darkness. She did this ten more times. Mesa took out his finger and put his hand back by his side. Mesa visibly sighed and wiped her hand on her pants.

She tilted her head back and opened her eyes super wide. She rubbed around her irises with her ring fingers and then drew circles around Leo's eyes with her tears. She licked her right forefinger and drew a line from his nose to the top of his head. She took the flute and wiped off the blood. Mesa rubbed around her irises again, but with her right thumb and forefinger. She then wiped the tears down the sides of the flute, brought it to her lips and began to play again. This tune felt a lot stronger than the last one.

When she finished, she kissed him on the forehead and stood. Mesa held her arms out to her sides, threw her head back and started to spin. She spun so fast, She was nothing but a blur. The candles went out and the lights turned back on. All four of us stood, just awestruck. Mesa was leaning on her knees, panting. She looked up at us. Sweat, blood and tears mingled together on her face. "He... is... safe." She tried to straighten herself, but instead crumpled to the ground.


	6. Good Bye?

I awoke in a pool of blood. I sat up and looked at my arm. 'Why am I covered in blood?' I wondered as I looked around. I was in the middle of a ring of half-burnt candles. There was a bloody flute and dagger on the floor to my right and my mask on my left. I felt something around my eyes. I reached up to touch it. 'Salt?' I looked up and saw my family blankly blinking at me. Master Splinter helped me up. "What's goin' on?" I asked, turning to my brothers. "What was that, Bro?" Mikey asked, pulling something out of his ear. My father and brothers pulled something that looked like wax out of their ears. I repeated myself.

My brothers all tried to answer at the same time. I couldn't exactly make out what they were saying, but Mesa kept getting mentioned. "Huh?" I cocked my head. "Look!" Mikey said, pointing behind me. I turned around, afraid of what I was about to see. My heart skipped a beat. It was Mesa, bleeding on the ground. "What happened?!" I ran over to her, turned her onto her back and listened for a heartbeat. It was there. I sighed in relief and sat next to her. "She brought you back to us." Master Splinter answered. "What?" I was having trouble wrapping my head around this. Donny walked over to us and tended to Mesa. "You were in some kind of trance. You kept screaming and moaning. Mesa somehow brought you out of it." Donny told me as he cleaned what looked like stab wounds. "What did she do?" I expected Donny to answer, but instead it was Raph. "She used her blood to get that black stuff outta ya and her tears to wake ya up"

That was when it hit me. That mark, the cloth, the nightmares. It all came back. Mesa stirred and sat up. "Oh good! You're awake. I honestly didn't think it would work. Sorry about the mess, Sensei. I'll clean it up as soon as Donny's done with my hand." She now had a band-aid just under her neck and Donny was wrapping her hand. "I will explain everything after I clean up. You may want to wash that off, Leo. It _really_ stinks after a while." I got up to leave. "May I have my cloth back?" I looked down at my arm and started trying to figure out how to untie it. When I finally did and gave it to her, she wadded it up and stuck it into her mouth. My brothers and I looked at her strangely as she sucked on it, swallowed then spit it back into her hand. It was cleaner than it was before this whole episode. "What?" she asked. I just shook my head and left to get a shower.

(POV Change)

I peeked over the couch and watched Mesa work. She only used the cloth she had in her hair earlier. She first cleaned the flute. She bent her head, thanked it and put it on the couch. She did the same thing with the dagger. I didn't understand why, though. "Mikey, could you help me gather the candles?" 'There's no getting past those ears of hers. I wonder how good she is at hide and seek.' I went to join her.

I handed her the candles one at a time. Every few candles, she would put the cloth back in her mouth. Every time after she got the blood off a candle, she would dip her head and thank it before setting it on the couch. "Why do you thank the candles?" I asked. She paused for a moment. "I thank the candles, because they protected me from the darkness as I brought it into me. I thanked the dagger, because it linked me to your brother to draw out his darkness. I thanked the flute, because it gave me passage into the darkness and safely led both of us out." I cocked my head at her explanation. She giggled at my puzzled look. "My mother taught me to thank everyone that does something for you, Mikey. Even if they don't respond." She continued cleaning the candles.

After all the candles were cleaned, Mesa started cleaning the blood stains on the floor. She started on the smaller one first. The cloth soaked it up like a sponge, turning it black. She put it back into her mouth. She did that about four more times. For the bigger pool, she did that at least twenty times. When she finished, she picked the dagger, flute and half the candles off the couch and went to the dojo to put them away. I took the other half.

(POV Change)

The rest of that afternoon, I tried to prepare myself to tell my story. I grabbed a knife from the kitchen and went into the storage room. I selected a small log that was about a foot long and about four inches wide. I sat and began to whittle. Someone knocked and came in. It was Donny. "Hey, Mesa its time fo- Whoa! What are you making?" I looked down at the rough egg shape I was holding. "I'm making an ocarina." I answered. "Cool. Well anyway, it's time for dinner." "It's been that long already?" I looked at him wide-eyed. "Yeah. Come on." I followed him out the door. We were having spaghetti, since I couldn't have pizza. It warmed my heart that they would think of that. I prepared my mind for the past.


	7. In the End

After my story, there was a long awkward silence. It was getting late. The clock in the kitchen said '11:23'. "Mesa." I looked and everyone else was looking at Leo. "I was wondering about how you woke me up. My brothers understand it about as much as I do." I sighed, more out of tiredness than anything. "I used my blood, tears, music and saliva to wake you. The music I made opened my being to yours and yours to mine, allowing me entry.

"Darkness fears life, so I spilled my lifeblood onto the darkness to make it flee into me. I then expelled it from me. Salt embodies purity, which darkness is not. It heals and disinfects. Saliva shares similar properties. I used them to cleanse your mind and to heal any damage the nightmares may have caused." They all looked at me speechless, particularly Donny. "It is getting late, guys. You will need your strength for tomorrow." I said, yawning.

All four tried to offer me their beds at the same time, resulting in many glares. I cleared my throat and said, "Guys, keep your beds. I haven't slept in one for so long, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep if I did. Thank you, though." They all mumbled 'goodnight' and left. Donny returned to me with a blanket, sheet and pillow. I thanked him and kissed his forehead. He blushed and left for bed. I went back onto the storage room. I found some rope and made a low hammock with the sheet. I added the pillow and climbed in with the blanket. I had forgotten what they felt like. 'I have a new family.' I sighed and turned over. I slept better than I had in five years.


End file.
